Uber and Pony.ai to test Gen-7 robotaxis in London within weeks
Pony.ai will begin testing its seventh-generation robotaxis in London in the coming weeks, ahead of a service on Uber, the company said on X on Thursday. Pony.ai gave no number of vehicles and no date for a commercial launch, and the two companies have not said who will own and run the London fleet, according to TechCrunch. The move follows their live partnership in Zagreb, where Pony.ai supplies the self-driving system and the Arcfox Alpha T5 vehicle, a third party owns and operates the fleet, and Uber provides the ride-hailing network; London is expected to follow a similar model.
It marks an early step toward Chinese robotaxis operating in London and deepens Uber's roster of autonomous-vehicle partnerships in Europe.
Pony.ai will start testing its seventh-generation robotaxis in London in the coming weeks, ahead of a service on Uber. The Chinese self-driving company announced the plan on X on Thursday.
“We look forward to working with local officials, and our partners, as plans progress to begin trials for self-driving vehicles under the UK’s frontier plan,” Pony.ai said.
The two companies have not said who will own and run the London fleet, TechCrunch reported. Pony.ai’s post gives no number of cars and no date for a commercial launch.